"A Church that doesn't provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that? Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980) "Never let other people define your reality or put you into bondage to their ways of thinking." Jerry Maneker.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Now that the Supreme Court has struck down DOMA, and stated that the proponents of Prop. 8 had no standing in the matter, thereby paving the way for same-sex marriage in California, I can imagine that many professing Christians will harp on their mantra that they are being persecuted; that religious liberty has been threatened by these rulings. In this connection, I want to reprint an article I wrote several years ago, that I also gave as a sermon, that puts the lie to those assertions:

"…O
my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy
paths." (Isaiah 3:12)

"…he
looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry."
(Isaiah 5:7)

Many years ago, I was asked
by a pastor of a Presbyterian Church to speak to the congregation and community
members who would attend as to why gay people should not be ordained to the
ministry. Conventionally reading the Bible, I saw such words as “abomination”
and “against nature” ostensibly associated with homosexuality, and I thought it
was a no-brainer. To my current embarrassment, I gave that speech.

Subsequent to giving that
speech, I started to think more deeply about the issue and asked myself the
question, “Why would someone voluntarily choose to become part of a despised
minority group?” I started searching the Scriptures, looking up the original
languages to see what they meant and, more importantly, what they didn’t mean.
I also read extra-biblical sources on the subject and finally decided that the
Bible not only did not condemn same-sex loving relationships but, in fact,
tacitly affirmed them.

I examined the relationship
between David and Jonathan and saw that even a cursory reading of the biblical
account of their relationship showed King David, called a man after God’s own
heart (1Samuel 13:14), to have been at the very least a bisexual. (1Sam.
20:30-31; 41-42; 2Sam. 1:26; 9:1) Moreover, in Matthew 8, a centurion beseeches
Jesus to heal his servant. The typical Greek word that is translated “servant,”
although a more accurate translation is “slave,” is doulos. However, in Matthew
8, the Greek word that is translated in the King James Version of the Bible as
“servant” is pais and, given this account as recorded in Luke 7 that says that
this slave (doulos) was “dear unto him” (Luke 7:2), it may very well be
translated “slave boy.”

The term “slave boy” was a
term that was commonly used to describe one who was in a homosexual relationship
in those times. That may well be why the centurion was so concerned about this
particular slave. (If he was a young boy, this would be considered pedophilia,
and not condoned by the Bible.) This being a reasonable and probable
translation in Matthew 8 given the context (Such as seen in Charles B.
Williams, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People.),
it is interesting that Jesus never condemned the centurion’s relationship with
his slave boy, and He had the perfect opportunity to do so if He felt that
their relationship was in any way sinful or inappropriate. Jesus merely
commended the centurion on his faith and promptly proceeded to heal the man’s
slave boy.

The legalists and the
self-righteous, smug fundamentalist professing Christians, who seem to
monopolize the media, don’t speak for Christianity—at least not the
Christianity that I know. These purveyors of a false Gospel impose their
prejudices on the Bible, selectively picking certain verses that they feel
affirm those prejudices, and preach a message of legalism and perfectionism
that is diametrically opposed to the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace,
reconciliation, and inclusiveness.

The Apostle Paul, who
adamantly fought legalism (Acts 15; Ephesians 2:8-9), saved his harshest words
for those who preach a false Gospel. He said in Galatians 1:8 concerning those
who preach a false Gospel, “…let him be accursed.” He felt so strongly about
those who preach legalism rather than the Gospel of grace that he repeated
himself in the very next verse.

To be “accursed” is to be
damned by God! In other words, he wrote, “God damn them.” (Galatians 1:8-9)
Once can’t use any stronger language than that!

These preachers of a false
Gospel have wittingly or unwittingly attempted to hijack the true Gospel and
redefine Christianity in their own twisted image of God, the Bible, the world,
and of themselves. They make Christians look like a pack of hate-mongering,
harsh, judgmental freaks and I terribly resent it!

Every single church and denomination
is obligated to embrace and welcome into its fellowship everyone who worships
Christ as his or her savior, and afford each such person full rights of
inclusion, including the partaking of every sacrament of the Church, as befit
members of the Body of Christ! Yet, many denominations are struggling with
issues surrounding the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (hereafter to be called GLBT) people. The struggle is said to
largely center on biblical interpretation regarding gay people and their
relationships, as well as Christian tradition, despite the fact that Jesus says
we make void the Word of God by our traditions. (Matthew 15:3)

Many people who seek to
deny GLBT people rights of ordination, marriage, and other rights and
privileges that accrue to others, may be well-intentioned, but they are
misinformed. The root of this misinformation is largely the religious
leadership that seeks to impose their world-views that bespeak ignorance and
insensitivity upon not only other people, but upon the Bible and upon God
Himself.

Just as Peter’s experience
of Cornelius in Acts 10 showed him that even Gentiles were receiving God’s
Spirit, we must realize that GLBT Christians can receive, and many have
received, God’s Spirit as well, as the reception of God’s Spirit has absolutely
nothing to do with one’s sexual orientation. Many people in the Church still
think of GLBT people as Peter and Paul once thought of Gentiles. Yet God told
them, and us, “…What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts
10:15)

Peter and Paul called the
Jewish Christian church in their day to not merely tolerate Gentile Christians,
but welcome their full inclusion. Similarly, in our day we are being called by
God to not merely tolerate GLBT Christians, but welcome their full inclusion in
every aspect of the Church and society.

Had it not been for
adherence to God’s revelation concerning inclusiveness, Paul would not have had
a ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47), and had it not been for Paul and his ministry,
Christianity would likely be but a mere sect of Judaism, rather than its
fulfillment! We must obey God; not man-made dogmas, rules, regulations, and
traditions!

On June 17, 2004, Reuters
reported, “The Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts is considering firing gay
employees who marry their same-sex partners in the only American state where
such unions are legal, a church official said on Thursday.” Hence, even though
the law in Massachusetts permits same-sex marriage, the Roman Catholic Church, viewing
gay relationships as “intrinsically disordered,” may seek to discriminate
against those who take advantage of that law.

Given the extensive sex
abuse scandals that have rocked that denomination, it would seem prudent for it
to take the beam out of its own eye before tackling what isn’t even a speck in
another’s eye. Yet, sexuality and sexual orientation are such highly charged
topics for them, and most others, that they may feel free to disregard the law
and discriminate against people who seek to make a lifetime commitment to each
other before God and the community through the sacrament of marriage.

Marriage is a matter of
love, but also a matter of legal and property rights! Just ask anyone who has
gone through a divorce! As citizens, GLBT people have every right to partake of
the same rights and privileges, as well as the responsibilities, as other
citizens.

Why would we allow a bunch
of celibate men, men who seemingly choose to deny a core part of the self, a
deep primal urge and vehicle for the _expression of deepest intimacy between
two people, be allowed to define romantic and sexual reality for us? In this
vein, we must ask, “Why are so many ‘religious’ people, clergy and non-clergy
alike, so obsessed with others’ love and sexual lives that they read into
Scripture, taking a few passages out of context and without regard to the
original languages, justification for discriminating, stigmatizing, demonizing,
and oppressing GLBT people, which judgment and discrimination is clearly
un-Scriptural?” Their prejudices have clearly blinded them to the biblical
mandate to love others and not judge or oppress them!

The Gospel of love trumps
any particular verse or verses of Scripture, particularly those taken out of
context and interpreted without regard to the original languages. In Leviticus,
the men who sought to gang rape the two angels weren't gay, as Lot wouldn't
have offered his virgin daughters to them. If they were gay, young women
certainly would have been no inducement to them. The issue was gang rape,
abusing others, not sexual orientation or gay relationships.

Indeed, whenever Sodom and
Gomorrah are mentioned in Scripture, homosexuality is never mentioned as its
sin. Rather, the sins that are dealt with are inhospitality and not taking care
of the poor. Moreover, if the two angels who visited Lot’s house had been
women, it is unlikely that those professing Christians who discriminate against
GLBT people would be condemning heterosexuality!

The word translated
"homosexual" in some translations (Such as the New English Bible: New
Testament.) is arsenekoitai, an obscure Greek word, which actually means
"male bed." It probably refers to male cult prostitution (See the New
Revised Standard Version of the Bible.) that was not uncommon in much of the
ancient world, where sex was sometimes a worshipful act to various pagan
deities and to have the crops grow. Paul was most likely talking about the use
of sex for these purposes. In this connection, it is important to note that the
word “homosexual” does not appear in any of the biblical manuscripts, as the
term was coined in the late 19th century, and first appeared in an English
Bible translation in the 1946 edition of the Revised Standard Version.

Moreover, prohibitions
against homosexual activity in ancient Israel was done in the context of a
tribal society living on the edge, surrounded by enemies, that had to "be
fruitful and multiply" in order for it to survive. Therefore, all types of
sexual activity had to be geared to procreation. The sin of Onan, coitus
interruptus, was to do otherwise. (Genesis 38:9-10)

Romans 1:21-32 that is
erroneously used to condemn gay people talks about those who turned their backs
on God. Even though many professing Christians and clergy have turned GLBT
people away from the church, many of these people still worship God. Many of
them have long, fulfilling relationships. For example, one gay couple who
attend our church has been together for 40 years.

In any case, what those who
quote from the first chapter of Romans to erroneously condemn gay people
apparently don't read is the very next verse: "Therefore Thou art
inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest
another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
(Romans 2:1)

The word
"abomination" frequently refers to anything the Gentiles did. For
example, eating fish without scales was an abomination. Also, the Greek words
that are translated "against nature," para physin, are also used in
reference to God when He brought the Gentiles into the covenant relationship
with Him. (Romans 11:24) Hence, the term “against nature” is not necessarily
meant to be pejorative; may well refer in Romans 1:26-27 to heterosexuals who
engage in homosexual acts as seen in cult prostitution.

In 1Corinthians 6:9 the
word "effeminate" is used. The Greek word is malakoi, and it means
"soft." It's used elsewhere in Scripture to denote soft clothing. In
this connection, it probably means people of soft morals or people who lack
courage.

It is important to realize
that homosexuality is never mentioned in the Ten Commandments, never written
about by the prophets, and never discussed by Jesus. If it were that important,
it would have likely been dealt with in at least one of these contexts!

Yet these facts, and many
others that have been put forth, are not likely to change the minds and hearts
of those who actively discriminate against GLBT people. Those who spend a great
deal of their time condemning other people “in the name of God,” by picking and
choosing selected verses of Scripture without seeming regard to context and
original languages, may well be materially and psychologically gaining a great
deal from these endeavors, all the while claiming that they are being faithful
to the Bible.

Just one example as to how
these people don't seem to be as ‘Bible believing’ as they would have us
believe: Jesus specifically condemned divorce and remarriage, saying that those
who did so, absent fornication, were themselves committing adultery. (Matthew
19:9) I don't hear many homophobic clergy condemning these people and telling
them that they should leave their current spouse and either reunite with their
previous spouse or remain single. Nor should they! My point is that many of
their constituents are made up of these people who give them tithes, offerings,
and contributions and they don't want to bite the hands that feed them. They
have, however, helped drive many GLBT people away from the church, so these
people become viewed as “safe” targets to persecute.

The Gospel of love negates
any attempt to misrepresent, stigmatize, demonize, or oppress other people.
Those who seek to exclude GLBT people from partaking fully in the life of the
Church and society have missed the message of the Gospel!

In any case, it's
inappropriate to blindly apply the cultural practices of ancient societies to
contemporary society, as it does not do justice to the Bible; the Bible makes
no such claims for itself; to do so cheapens the Bible. As Peter J. Gomes wrote
in his superb book, The Good Book: Reading The Bible With Mind And Heart,
when we read the Bible we must take account of what it says, what it means, the
text, the subtext, the context, what we bring to the text, and what we take out
of the text. Without such examination, we have the egregious example of many
Black churches, ministers and lay people, aligning themselves with the KKK to
fight against same-sex marriage.

What is interesting in this
context is that the KKK has demonstrated against same-sex marriage. So, the
Vatican, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints (that, even with its checkered sexual history, talks of traditional
family values) and others who oppose equal rights for gay people are aligning
themselves with the KKK that opposes equality for all citizens. And these
professing Christians have the temerity to do so "in the name of
God."

For far too long we have
listened to people who just uncritically assume that what they heard from the
pulpit or Sunday school, as ignorant and hateful as it may be, regarding GLBT
people is true. Being gay is not a lifestyle! It's a life! It's not a choice,
any more than being straight is a choice!

Moreover, although each
minority group has its own particular history, each has suffered from
misinformation, discrimination, stigma, and oppression. Unfortunately, the
Church has been the last institution in society to accept the disenfranchised
and "least among us." As has been noted for many years, the Church
has been, and continues to be, the most racially segregated institution that
exists on Sunday mornings in our society. In addition, the major justification
for oppressing minority groups has been appeal to the Bible. Witness the
subjugation of women, slavery, and segregation.

Even the most "Bible
believing" Christian would not condone such biblical practices as stoning
to death adulterers, stoning to death those who work on the Sabbath, requiring
all women to wear long hair, women not talking in church, women not teaching
men, not wearing mixed fibers in our clothes, etc. Yet these are all taught in
the Bible!

The Bible is part of God's
revelation to us. It gives us a glimpse into a small part of God's heart and a
few of His many dimensions. God didn't stop talking to His children 2,000 years
ago! He still speaks to us regarding His will for our lives, and to proclaim in
each generation, in and for His name, the cause of justice, and to manifest
Jesus’ love toward others.

God bless the work of
Soulforce that seeks justice for GLBT people, the United Federation of the
Metropolitan Community Churches that largely minister to GLBT Christians, the
Online magazine, "Whosoever," for which I have written a great deal,
that is primarily geared to GLBT Christians, and to the work of the late
Rembert Truluck (Steps to Recovery From Bible Abuse) and Rick
Brentlinger (Gay Christian 101) who point out the destructive aspects of
Bible abuse and how misuse of the Bible has caused the untold suffering of GLBT
people. It is these, and other such ministries, that have undoubtedly saved,
and immeasurably enriched, the lives of countless GLBT people, Christian and
non-Christian alike, who were previously wracked by feelings of guilt, shame,
self-loathing, and condemnation, hitherto believing the lies and ignorant
pronouncements emanating from much of the Church.

The seemingly oracular
pronouncements regarding GLBT people and their relationships by those who
parade their ignorance as “Godliness” have helped lead to the suicides,
bashings, and murders of countless GLBT people. Indeed, in this connection, it
is estimated that gay youth have at least three times the suicide rate of
non-gay youth.

Make no mistake, every drop
of blood shed by GLBT people either through suicide, bashing, or murder, are on
the hands of all those religious leaders, their followers, and their allies who
spew forth their ignorance, prejudice, and hate against GLBT people and their
relationships! These wolves in sheep’s clothing take the Bible, God’s love
letter to His children, and selectively and perversely use it as a club to
condemn others, and deny GLBT people full inclusion in the Church and in
society.

The tradition-bound parts
of the Church have so indoctrinated people, many of whom have never even set
foot in a house of worship, that many people even disown their own children
when they “come out” and divulge their sexual orientation to those whom they
thought unconditionally loved and cherished them. There are many children
living on the streets because their own parents trusted ignorant clergy and
their followers over their God-given duty and privilege to nurture and embrace
their own children!

The Church should
concentrate on the real sins that deserve our attention and that cry out to God
for redress, such as invading another country on false pretenses; the working
poor who can't afford medical insurance; the Supreme Court ruling that people
can't sue their insurance company in state court for denying needed medical
services; many elderly people having to decide whether to buy food or medicine;
the gigantic rip off perpetrated by drug companies, hospitals, and the medical
establishment on sick and vulnerable people. Why not focus on and address
issues such as these, instead of obsessing on who loves who and who sleeps with
whom? Such obsession tells us much more about the pathetic and moribund state
of much of the Church than it does about the reality of the lives of GLBT
people.

Indeed, those who seek to
exclude others from full fellowship in church, and in secular society, commit
the greatest sin of all: the sin of pride. Jesus “…spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised
others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the
other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank
thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even
as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I
possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Throughout our lives, we
have been bombarded with ignorant, homophobic messages from much of the Church
world that don’t resonate with, and do contradict, the revelation of God in the
Person and words of Jesus! Let’s not let the ignorant, the haters and
hate-mongers, many of whom gain psychological, social, and financial advantages
by their condemnation and exclusion of GLBT people, define Christianity for
us.

We must rise above their
ignorant and hateful pronouncements, cynically made "in the name of
God," "tradition," "church law," and "family
values," and finally practice Christianity. Hear Jesus' call for inclusion
of all of His people, and let's fulfill His mandate for us to love our neighbor
by embracing in every facet of our lives His GLBT children, whom He gave as a
gift to the church and society to be cherished every bit as much as He
cherishes us.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

In a victory for gay rights advocates and a legal win for Attorney General Martha Coakley, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional, a ruling that means thousands of families in Massachusetts will no longer be denied Social Security, medical benefits and other protections tied to marriage laws.“This ruling is a victory for equality and civil rights for all,” Coakley said in a statement. “By striking down DOMA, the highest court has ensured that married same-sex couples are treated equally under federal law.”

In a statement released as he spends time in California with family, Gov. Deval Patrick said, “By affirming the principle that people come before their government as equals, today's Supreme Court decision striking down DOMA is a win for the American people. I applaud the Court's decision on Prop 8 in California as well. Freedom includes keeping government out of people’s most personal and intimate choices, and affirming human dignity. Today's decisions do that.”

The Libertarian Party applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to strike the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that discriminates against non-heterosexual marriages.The Libertarian Party has supported marriage equality since its founding in 1971."The Republican Party has never supported marriage equality," said Laura Delhomme, 2013 Libertarian candidate for delegate in Virginia. "Democrats, despite their alleged support of civil liberties, only added a reference to same-sex marriage to their party platform in 2012 — when it became politically convenient."DOMA was pushed through by a GOP-led Congress and signed by a Democratic president."This is a landmark victory for personal freedom," said Geoffrey J. Neale, chair of the Libertarian National Committee. "The Democrats and Republicans who have advanced, defended, and let stand government intrusion into the private contracts and choices of consenting adults will be remembered for their inhumanity on this issue."Ending DOMA means that the federal government will recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples in states that recognize marriage equality. This is a good first step toward ending government discrimination that has affected millions of Americans.Libertarian candidates have long rallied for marriage equality. This year, Robert Sarvis, Libertarian Party of Virginia candidate for governor, along with Delhomme and several other candidates for legislature, have vowed to press for recognition of same-sex marriage in Virginia.Libertarian candidates in New Jersey, the only other state that is holding legislative races this year, are also calling for marriage equality."Same-sex couples are denied the right to marry because the governor vetoed the marriage equality bill that would have guaranteed their civil rights," said Ken Kaplan, Libertarian for governor in New Jersey. "I will sign such a bill."The Libertarian Party platform states that "Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws."A recent poll from ABC News/Washington Post shows that 58 percent of Americans support marriage equality, a rapid change from just a decade ago, when only 39 percent supported it. Americans are coming around to the Libertarian view that big government does not belong in our lives, whether it’s our bedrooms or our wallets. [Taken from the Libertarian Party's web page.]

Monday, June 24, 2013

This
article appeared in my June 22nd column entitled, “Christianity and
Society,” that appears in the “Sacramento Valley Mirror.”

“He hath
shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to
do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8)

With the
exception of relatively few denominations, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) people are fully welcomed in churches or allowed to partake
of all the sacraments of those churches.Most churches view homosexuality as a sin!

The Roman
Catholic Church views homosexuality as being “disordered,” and its practice as
being “intrinsically evil.” And most other churches, in one way or another, concur
with this view.

This
view seems to arise from a relatively few selected Scripture verses that have
nothing to do with one’s having a homosexual orientation, but has to do with
same-sex expressions of idolatry to false gods.An excellent book that goes into great detail on the subject
of Christianity and homosexuality is written by Rick Brentlinger entitled, Gay
Christian 101: Spiritual Self-Defense for Gay Christians - What the Bible
Really Says About Homosexuality, and I strongly urge all Christians to read
this book. This book eruditely and incisively debunks all of the apparent
justifications that professing Christian homophobes when invoking the Bible to
support their erroneous contentions.

The
reality is that I can use the Bible to far better affirm slavery, segregation,
and the subordination of women that I can to assert that homosexuality is in
any way sinful, unless the latter is used as a means of idolatry or temple
prostitution to appease or beseech false gods.In any event, the big lie has been that God condemns
homosexuality within the context of same-sex love, and when a lie is repeated
often enough, many people come to believe it as true.Hitler’s minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels , used this
fact to manipulate the minds and behaviors of most in Nazi Germany, and it has
been no less effective in making most of the institutional Church homophobic.

As the
above verse of Scripture enjoins us, we must do our very best to live just lives
so that we can be salt and light in a sin-sursed world; be merciful to others
and always be humble when reading Scripture and in our walk of faith with
God.In all our pronouncements and
attitudes, we must be humble, always recognizing that God is far bigger than
the Bible; He can’t be put in a box that meets our personal and/or cultural
biases.Frequently, people read
the Bible and impose their own biases on the text, when they should let the
Bible speak to them in its own terms, always recognizing the biases they may be
bringing to that text.

Moreover,
we can easily fall into the trap where we worship the Bible, rather than our
frequently inscrutable God Whose ways are past finding out; Whose ways are
higher than our ways; Whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Romans
11:33, Isaiah 55:9)It is easy to
fall into dogmatism and legalism, particularly when we perceive we have a
vested interest in maintaining our paradigm or way of seeing a particular subject,
such as what we perceive to be “normal” sexual expression.If we let the Bible speak to us, rather
than impose our own biases upon it to justify ourselves and our perceptions we
will, indeed, be able to walk more humbly with our God.

As I
get older, I realize not only how little I know about the mysteries of life,
but also how many gray areas of life there are.Sometimes, even willful sinning, known to be a sin by the
person, may be beyond his or her control, and may be the best for that person to
be used by God in his or her brokenness. (2Corinthians 12:9)And, although God is not the author of
sin, that sin, as all sins, is still covered over by the Blood of Christ and
through that brokenness, God can best use that imperfect crock of clay through
whom to work His will.

If a
person has to spend his or her life suppressing emotional/sexual feelings and
activity within the context of monogamy, he or she can become warped to the
point that God can’t use that person as He would like.After all, God knew when He saved us
everything we would do, and even every sin we would commit.

He
saved us because of His love for us, and because He could use us to work His
will in us and in the world.This
fact is certainly true for LGBT people as well!God doesn’t only choose heterosexuals to be His own possession!

We show
our love for God by fulfilling the commandments that Jesus prescribed: love God
with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; love our neighbor as
ourselves.And LGBT people are our
neighbors!

Frankly,
I think that God is much more concerned with “corporate sins” than with
“personal sins,” especially those that are imagined constructed sins!Downsizing, mergers and ensuing
layoffs, technology that displaces individuals and families, an economy that
requires most couples to work outside the home often to barely make ends meet,
homelessness and our callousness to the poor and disenfranchised, an
increasingly sociopathic culture which diminishes human worth and dignity,
honed to a fine art in the medical and drug establishments so as to main a
robust “bottom line,” etc. are the sins that cry out for vengeance from God
rather than one’s affectional/sexual desires.

Regarding
Scripture verses that are often used to condemn LGBT people, in the Old
Testament people were to be fruitful and multiply, anticipating the birth of
the Messiah.Clearly, in this
context, homosexual conduct was forbidden.In the New Testament in Romans 1:21-32 and in 1Corinthians
6:9 the thrust of Paul’s argument is that once having known God one turns his
or her back on God and worships the gods of this world, be it sex, alcohol,
pride, etc.When one worships any
one or more gods of this world over and above God Himself he or she is not fit
for the kingdom of God.

This is
the thrust of Paul’s arguments in these verses of Scripture.And the worship of the false god of
homophobia also represents this type of idolatry that God hates!

The
Bible is called “the lively oracles of God” because it speaks anew and afresh
to each generation, with its own particular problems and struggles.By reading the Bible both literally and
literately, we see that we are dealing with lively things that must always be
approached with the utmost humility; the humility that must also be manifested
when we walk with God on our journey through life.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Pope Francis has admitted the existence of a "gay lobby" inside the Vatican's secretive administration, the Roman Curia, allegedly exposed during a leaks scandal, according to a Latin American Catholic website.Back in February Italian media claimed that a secret report by cardinals investigating the leaks included allegations of corruption and blackmail attempts against gay Vatican clergymen, and on the other hand, favouritism based on gay relationships."In the Curia, there are truly some saints, but there is also a current of corruption," the pope is quoted as having said during an audience last week with CLAR (the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women)."There is talk of a 'gay lobby' and it's true, it exists. We have to see what can be done," the 76-year-old pontiff is quoted as saying on the Reflection and Liberation website, which was flagged up by religious news agencies on Tuesday.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING GENDER-NEUTRAL BATHROOMS

Use of Public Restrooms is Frequently Very Dangerous for Transgender People

SETTLE FOR NOTHING LESS THAN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

SEPARATE IS NOT EQUAL!

"Where is the Life we have lost in living?Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"T. S. Eliot

A MANIFESTO FOR EMPOWERMENT

There is a point when one has to own his/her dignity, demand the respect due to any human being, demand full and equal civil and sacramental rights regardless of the negative messages and hostility that have been visited on that person in the past, or even in the present.

And those goals will not be realized as long as the minority group accepts its inferior status, and revels in it by referring to its members by the very same terms used by the most virulent homophobes throughout history and in our midst, and that some of its members burlesques their very existence by projecting images for public consumption that give further ammunition to their oppressor.

No self respecting person, Gay or Straight, stands for being treated as less than fully human; no self respecting person, Gay or Straight, uses negative self-identifiers that have been historically (and contemporarily) used by their oppressors.

It is high time that LGBT people recognize their essential normality, dignity, inherent worth, and demand full and equal civil and sacramental rights enjoyed by every other citizen!

The slave mentality is blamed on others, but the fact is that it ultimately resides within each human being whether or not to accept that mentality.

FOR LGBT CHRISTIANS AND FOR ALL CHRISTIANS TO NEVER FORGET!

TAKEN FROM "THE BELL"I am God's child (John 1:12)I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph.2:10)I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected.(Phil. 1: 5)I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God'schild (Eph 1:5)

About Me

I'm Professor Emeritus of Sociology at California State University, Chico. I have been married since 1962, and my wife and I have two grown daughters. I've been an ordained priest in the Congregational Catholic Church, a division of the Independent Catholic Churches International (ICCI) that is no longer active. For many years, I have had a weekly column in the Sacramento Valley Mirror entitled, "Christianity and Society," where I deal with a variety of social issues from a biblical and sociological perspective. I also contribute regularly to the Online magazine, "Whosoever," that deals with topics of relevance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians and their allies; I also have a web site entitled, "Radical Christianity," located at www.radicalchristianity.net, that contains some of my articles concerning "progressive Christianity," and the need for Christians worthy of the name to confront the perversions of the Gospel of grace that have gained ascendancy so as to change the face of much of the institutional "Church" in America, and threaten the very foundations of liberty and democracy in America itself.

Followers

For All Disciples of Christ

Jesus preached love amidst hatred; unity amidst divisiveness; faith amidst the legalistic religious leaders of His day...wholeness amidst the brokenhearted; freedom amidst those held in yokes of bondage...Jesus spoke truth to power, and we, as Christians, are to do no less!

THE LORD WHOM WE SERVE

"Jesus had no servants,yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree,yet they called Him Teacher .

Had no medicines,yet they called Him Healer.

Had no army,yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles,yet He conquered the world.He committed no crime,yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb,yet He lives today.

Feel honoredto serve such a Leaderwho loves us."

FROM "THE CHRISTIAN LEFT"

"It’s easy to see the sinfulness and corruption of “the world” for what they are when you spend enough time reading what Jesus said. It has nothing to do with abortion and gay marriage. It has everything to do with the lust for money, power and control. Starving the poor and depriving the sick of health care, not caring for the least of these among us, is what angers God the most. It’s easy to see why the road is narrow. The world is very efficient at convincing even Christians that its agenda is good. When people try to carry out God’s agenda they’re labeled “Socialists” and demonized."

FROM A SERMON BY MARTIN LUTHER KING: "Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution"

"On some positions, cowardice asks the question: 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question: 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question: 'Is it popular'? But conscience asks the question: 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when a true follower of Jesus Christ must take a stand that's neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take that stand because it is right."

A CRUCIAL MESSAGE FROM DON CHARLES

"The only acceptable topping [of Christianity] is unconditional love! Top the Christian message with hatred, and it is no longer Christian. It is no longer fit to eat. Its validity, its usefulness, its whole raison d'être is erased, and instead of leading people to Heaven, it diverts them toward Hell. You cannot be a true Christian and believe it's okay for that to happen!"

MUST-READING FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN THE LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE

The following link takes you to a series of articles by Don Charles Hampton that deal with many dimensions of the LGBT Civil Rights struggle. Each of these articles are nothing short of brilliant, and are must-reading for all those who are both serious about this struggle, and who are in any way intimidated by professing "Christian" rhetoric that is used to bear false witness and defame LGBT people.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/stuffedanimal

In most Native American history, Gay, Lesbian, and/or Transgendered individuals were considered holy and treated with the highest respect. They were the historians, the healers, and the people of empowerment. They possessed the delicate balance of male and female, and were often honored for being unique and having a different spiritual calling. For their tribes, they were the mediators between the spirit world and the natural world. They were known in their separate languages as “naadle” (nad le) They who love their own kind, translation from the Navajo language; “winkte” (wink-day) would be woman, translation from the Lakota Sioux language; and “bade” (bah-day) male/female person, translation from the Hidatsa language. (By the staff of the Two-Spirit Society of Denver.)

CIVIL RIGHTS ARE NOT TO BE VOTED UPON BY THE ELECTORATE!

We can't spend our time and tremendous amounts of monies trying to get the majority of the electorate to vote for equal rights. If integration of African Americans was put on the ballot in each state during the civil rights era, we would still have segregation and Jim Crow laws! There must be meaningful, coordinated, and aggressive grassroots, street, and organizational activism, coupled with the filing of civil suits at the federal level, to achieve equal rights. "Separate is not equal," and that fact must be, and undoubtedly will be, affirmed by the Judiciary in regard to Gay people, as it was for African Americans, and not left to the will and whim of the majority of the electorate, for to do so demeans Gay people, and puts each and every minority group's rights up for grabs. We would never think of putting one or more civil rights of Jews, of African Americans, of Asians, etc. on the ballot to be voted upon, and Gay people's civil rights must not be treated any differently.

Christianity Is A Lifestyle

Christianity is a lifestyle -- a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving. However, we made it into a clever "religion," in order to avoid the lifestyle itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain, and still believe that Jesus is their "personal Lord and Savior." The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on Earth is too great. - Richard Rohr

THE BIBLE IS NOT GOD

The Bible is NOT God! To elevate the Bible to the status of God, not only is an injustice to scholarship and logic, but is a direct offense against God Himself. We are to have no idols other than God, and biblical literalists and many of those who seek to counter them, both use the Bible as an idol, elevating it to the point where they explicitly or implicitly believe that it contains all of God's Word to us. Jesus is God's Word, and Jesus makes very clear what God expects of His followers: to trust God over and above seen circumstances, and to love other people! That's what puts the lie to homophobic professing Christians' selective use of certain biblical passages to "justify" and impose their hateful prejudices on others; their re-defining Christianity, and God Himself, in their own image, thereby using not only the Bible, but themselves, as their idols; ignoring Jesus' words, work, ministry, and life! The Bible is best viewed as a "finger" that points us to a couple of the many dimensions of God. What the biblical literalists do is equivalent to the following: If I ask you where you live and you point in a given direction and I just keep staring at your finger, I'll soon come to know everything about your finger, its size, shape, fingerprint, and every single detail about your finger, but I won't come any closer to knowing where you live. I have to look to the place where your finger is pointing in order to know where you live. The same holds true for those who elevate the Bible as being the "inerrant word of God." No! Only God is the Inerrant Word!

A Question That Must Be Raised in Every Public Venue

If someone is emotionally and sexually intact, why would there be a need for their obsessive condemnation of other consenting adults' emotional/sexual orientations?

LGBT PEOPLE AS "EUNUCHS SO BORN FROM THEIR MOTHER'S WOMB."

For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb.... (Matthew 19:12)

I don't think any scholar who is truly spiritually sensitive can not see that "eunuchs so born from their mother's womb" refers to Gay and Transgender people who, on this earth, most closely reflect God Who is Spirit and Who transcends gender. LGBT people are God's gift to this world, and to His Church. Too many of the former largely reject that gift; Christ's Church, unfortunately, seems to comprise very few within the institutional Church.

THE CONFUSION OF "HEDONISM" WITH "GAY."

In my opinion, a distinction has to be made between "hedonism" and "Gay," and much public persona of Gay people, and the commentators on all too many LGBT-oriented sites, seem to be more hedonistic than Gay. Frivolity, indecency, and use of hateful epithets as self-identifiers tell us far more about them than it does about Gay people. They use "queer" because they feel "queer," and don't see being Gay in any other terms than being "indecent" and "abnormal." And many of them pride themselves on being outsiders! This reflects their psyches, and they are too dense to accept that fact, let alone change their rhetoric and self-perceptions. They resent anyone who tells them that they are not "mistakes," and that dignity is essential in living one's life, and they undoubtedly thrive on lack of such dignity. I learned a lot from a transgender woman, for example, when she resented the fact that I said that she wasn't a mistake! She tenaciously hung on to the fact that she is a mistake and resented any other possibility. The same is true for most Gay people who comment on assorted Gay-oriented sites. Blindly accepting the oppressor's rhetoric and actions has done inordinate harm to many LGBT people, and that's a great deal of what we must fight against.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS, AUGUST 4, 1857

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must pay for all they get. If we ever get free from all the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and, if needs be, by our lives, and the lives of others.

He, who begins by loving Christianity, better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all. -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

A NOTE ON THE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE USE OF PEJORATIVE SELF-IDENTIFIERS

It is important for me to underscore the fact that some titles in this Links section, despite their often excellent content, have the word "Queer" in them, including some papers that I wrote years ago. It should be underscored that these sites’ titles spread ignorance and are counterproductive to the acquisition of full and equal civil and sacramental rights for LGBT people. The Lord doesn’t create "queer" human beings!

A QUOTE FROM ROBIN TYLER, PETITIONER-CASE TO OVERTURN PROP. 8

"No civil rights movement has EVER lost. Never. It is not a matter of if our community will win full equal rights, including marriage. It is only a matter of when. But as in all civil rights movements, we will have to fight like hell for it."

-

CESAR CHAVEZ' ADDRESS TO THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB, NOV. 9, 1984

Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISM, BY DON CHARLES

1.Thou shalt not address thyself or thy kind with inaccurate, disrespectful or dehumanizing labels, nor shalt thou do or say anything to marginalize thyself or enable thy own oppression.

2.Thou shalt not treat thy moral crusade like a political campaign.Thou shalt not value the welfare of political parties over the welfare of LGBT folk, nor shalt thou bind the equality movement to any political party.

3.Thou shalt not disrespect transgender identity or transgender bodies, and thou shalt not kick thy transsexual brethren to the curb for political advantage.Thou shalt endeavor to rid thy movement of transphobia as well as biphobia, sexism, heterosexism, racism, sexual racism, ageism and class bias.

4.Thou shalt not defend, attend or fund any religious institution which preaches genocide against LGBT folk, and thou shalt pursue separation of church and state with all thy mind, heart and soul.Thou shalt directly confront religious institutions that preach LGBT genocide, and thou shalt use authentic, inclusive theology as a weapon against hateful doctrine.

5.Thou shalt not use the equality movement as thy vehicle for exhibitionism, hedonism, political ambition or self-promotion.

6.Thou shalt not excuse any form of inequality (such as exclusion from marriage or military service) on ideological grounds, and thou shalt not give LGBT equality less importance than other social issues.

9.Thou shalt access public and private education systems and use those systems to diminish fear and ignorance about LGBT people.Thou shalt not be turned aside from this goal by scurrilous accusations of "recruitment".

10.Thou shalt protect, nurture and serve as role models for LGBT youth, and thou shalt protect, honor and provide for LGBT elders.

BULLETPROOF FAITH By Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge

Every gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Christian (and others) should read this superb life-changing book that gives psychological and spiritual strategies for dealing with homophobia. [Click here to order.]

CRISIS By Mitchell Gold

A truly empowering book. The subtitle of this book tells it all: "40 Stories Revealing The Personal, Social, And Religious Pain And Trauma Of Growing Up Gay In America" [Click here to order.]

THE GOD BOX, By Alex Sanchez

GAY CHRISTIAN 101, By Rick Brentlinger

An excellent resource showing how being Gay is in no way inconsistent with being a Christian. [Click here to order.]

A PRIEST'S TALE: AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A GAY PRIEST By Fr. Donald Andrew Dodman

"Exploring the questions of sexuality, religion, and the way beliefs evolve throughout a lifetime, A Priest's Tale: Autobiography of a Gay Priest is a unique window on the life of a gay man whose thirty years working as a priest of the Anglican Church of Canada provide him with a particular insight into the absurdity of the human condition and the intrinsic balance existing between the flesh and the spirit." [Click here to order.]

I DO...DON'T I? By Mary Stroube

An Excellent Book on the Legal Issues Surrounding Domestic Partnerships in California [Click here to order.]

"CALL ME TROY"

This film shows the story of Rev. Troy Perry, and the activism and founding of the Metropolitan Community Churches. [Click here to order the DVD]